


The Perks of Being an Art Student

by demfeeeels



Category: Free!
Genre: Art Student!Haru AU, Just cute fluff I guess, M/M, Model!Rin AU, Not really nsfw, awkward fluffy romance, lots of flustered rin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-19 16:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2394752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demfeeeels/pseuds/demfeeeels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka Nanase, an art student, really doesn't like life drawing, and for the first time in his life, he actually has a chance of failing in something art related. Just when he's on the verge of collapsing, he finds a certain phone number in a library book, and things take an unexpected turn...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not even sure what this is or how long it's gonna be, but I found this thing on Tumblr "cute AU: found the other's phone number in a library book" and it was 3 AM so um... yeah. ((Everyone is probably horribly out of character so I apologize. This is like the first time I've written anything in months okay))

"I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid someone else still has that book borrowed. But if I could interest you in..."

Haru sighed and stood up. "No, it's fine." Picking up his shoulder bag (which was quite heavy, seeing as Haru had even more art supplies and sketchbooks stuffed in it than usual), he started walking towards the public library's exit. "But please inform me when the book is returned."

A ten minute walk later, Haru was taking off his boots and coat after entering his house, relieved to finally be away from the harsh cold outside. After making himself a cup of coffee, he walked upstairs to his so-called "art studio", which was really just the guest bedroom of his house. But seeing as Haru rarely ever had guests, he'd moved all his art supplies and easels and sketchbooks and paintings to that room.

Stumbling through the mess of sketchbooks and art guides on the floor, Haru finally got to his desk at the back of the room and sat down, taking off his shoulder bag and placing it on the table. He wasn't usually a messy person, but this last month had been an exception. And there was only one reason for that.

The art final is next week!

Not that Haru was usually one to get stressed before exams, but this time was also another exception.

...And we have to draw those goddamn life drawings.

Yup. Life drawings. In simpler terms, naked people. For some reason, this was Haru's weak spot in art. He was definitely more into painting, especially scenery and nature (he also loved painting water, for some reason he couldn't explain), and he never planned on sketching any naked people in the future. If he could've skipped this course, he probably would've. But no, this counted toward their final grade, so there was no ditching it. And now the final was next week.

He took out the sketchbook that had today's life drawings drawn in them and flipped to his latest work. He did a quick overview, sighed, and slammed the sketchbook back on his desk. The instructor's words rang in Haru's head:

I'm afraid this won't do, Haruka. I know you don't really prefer life drawing, but you'll have to improve if you want to even pass the exam. I'm sorry. 

Then she'd recommended a book, Life Drawing 101: The Anatomy and Breakdown, Simplified, and told him that he would be able to find it at the small library near his house, but he'd been too late. Some other desperate art student like himself probably had it right now, and they were probably going to return it after the art final.

Draining the last of his coffee, Haru slammed the mug on the desk, frustrated. Who would think that drawing naked people, after all his award-winning paintings, would be so bloody hard?

Worrying about it right now won't do anything. Just hope that the book gets returned quickly.

With that thought, he got up, stretching, and decided that a nice warm bath would probably calm his nerves.

 

~~~~~~

 

Half an hour later, Haru walked into his bedroom, just a simple blue and white towel draped around his hips. Yeah, he thought to himself, it was definitely a good idea to take a bath. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, he walked over to his chest-of-drawers and started to look for something to wear.

While he was looking for his white sweater, Haru's cellphone, which he'd tossed carelessly on his bed started ringing, startling him. Who would call me? he thought, making his way toward the bed. Anyone who knew Haru knew that he rarely ever used his phone. He picked up the phone, but all it said was Unknown Caller. He pressed "answer" anyway.

"Hello?" He asked tentatively into the phone.

"Nanase-san?" said a male's voice, which sounded strangely familiar...

"You came to the library earlier this afternoon, yes?"

Ah. Now he recognized it. It was the library assistant that he'd been talking to today.

"Yes," was Haru's only reply.

"Well, I just wanted to inform you that Life Drawing 101 has just been returned. You wanted to borrow it, correct?"

A wave of relief spread through Haru. Maybe I won't fail the exam after all.

"Mmhmm, that's right," Haru said nodding, "I'll be there in ten minutes."

 

Just as promised, Haru was at the library exactly ten minutes later. He walked up to the librarian, a middle-aged woman who smiled when she saw him approaching.

"Nanase-san, right?" She asked. Haru nodded. She held up a thick, hardcover book in her hands. "I was informed you wanted to borrow this."

Haru handed her his library card, and two minutes later he was walking down the street, making his way home for the second time that day. The cold wind was even worse now, making Haru shiver and wrap his scarf a little tighter around his neck. Even so, he was mightily relieved that whoever had borrowed the book had returned it so quickly. He opened the book to the cover page, and a thin strip of paper suddenly came flying out.

If it wasn't for Haru's abnormally fast reflexes, the little strip of paper probably would've been long gone by now. But Haru had quickly grabbed it before the wind could carry it away. Closing the book again, he unfolded the thin slip of paper, only to find...

_**012 412 3546** _

A phone number?

 

~~~~~~

 

"There," Haru mumbled to himself, finishing off yet another drawing. He'd been drawing nonstop for three hours after coming back from the library, and he was surprised to see that after following the book's instructions, he was actually improving. No wonder his instructor had recommended it to him.

Maybe I should do a few more....

Immediately, Haru's stomach grumbled, protesting. Sighing, he got up. The last time he'd eaten was his lunch break in the middle of class, and that had been hours ago.

But before leaving the studio, he picked up the book, deciding to read a little more while eating. He also spotted the little strip of folded paper, which he'd put at the far corner of his desk. For good measure, he grabbed that too. Maybe he would decide what to do with it later.

Putting on a blue apron, Haru went through his freezer, looking for something to eat. It wasn't much of a question though, as the only thing he had in there was mackerel, which Haru didn't really consider a problem. He really loved mackerel, after all.

While he flipped the now half-cooked mackerel in the pan, the doorbell started ringing. Haru sighed. He really didn't want any guests right now. He just wanted to continue his life drawings, then probably take another bath, then get some well-earned sleep. Maybe if he just ignored it...

Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong.....

Now Haru was just plain irritated. Closing the stove and taking his apron off, he made his way toward the door.

"Who is it?" He mumbled, opening the door, even though he was pretty sure he knew who it was.

"Haru-chan!! We came to see you!"

Yup. Who else would visit him at this time other than Nagisa, Makoto, and Rei?

"Can we come inside, Haru?" Makoto asked, smiling.

Haru sighed. "Sure."

Ten minutes later, they were all seated in Haru's living room, drinking tea. Haru asked them if they wanted mackerel, but they all just sighed.

"You eat way too much mackerel, Haru," Makoto said, shaking his head.

"It isn't a balanced diet, Haruka-senpai," Rei added. "It's not good for your body."

Haru just shrugged, used to their usual comments. "So what brings you guys here?"

"Well," Nagisa started, "Haru-chan's been so stressed about the art exam, so we thought we'd come to cheer you up!"

Haru couldn't help but smile. His friends could be a handful sometimes, but he really was thankful for them. "Is that so?"

All three of them nodded, smiling. "Though I hope we aren't disturbing you, Haruka-senpai," Rei said.

Haru shook his head. "I needed to take a break anyway."

Nagisa reached across the table, grabbing for the life drawings book. "Is this what you're studying for the art exam, Haru-chan?"

"Yeah," Haru replied, taking another bite of mackerel.

Nagisa curiously peered at the cover. "Life Drawings 101. What are 'life drawings'?"

Rei sighed. "It's drawing people, Nagisa-kun. Naked people, to be specific."

"Ohhh," Nagisa said. "Do you like life drawing, Haru-chan?"

"Not really," Haru said, shrugging.

"Then why are you doing it??"

"Obviously, Nagisa-kun, he has to take it to pass the exam," Rei interrupted.

Haru finished the last bite of his mackerel, while Rei and Nagisa continued bickering about life drawings and art exams and who knows what. Makoto looked over at them, smiling fondly, and then turned his attention back at Haru. He squinted at Haru's face, a small frown forming on his lips.

"What is it?" Haru asked.

Makoto shook his head. "Nothing really. It's just... have you been getting enough sleep these days? You have dark circles under your eyes."

Haru sighed. Classic motherly, worrying Makoto. There was absolutely nothing he could hide from his childhood friend. "I've been staying up late to practice for the exam. You don't have to worry about it, though. I'm fine."

"I'll show you myself, Nagisa-kun!" Rei (who was still arguing with Nagisa) burst out, snatching the book out of Nagisa's hands and flipping it to some random page. Suddenly, the little strip of paper fluttered out, dropping gently on the floor. Everyone had their eyes on it, the room suddenly dead quiet.

"Oooh, what's this, Haru-chan?" Nagisa grinned, reaching out for the paper.

"Nagisa, don't-" Haru started, but Nagisa had already grabbed and unfolded it. Rei and Makoto were right behind him, peering curiously.

A mischevious grin appeared on Nagisa's face. "A phone number? Do you secretly have a girlfriend, Haru-chan?"

"Huh? No, it's not like tha-"

"Is it someone from your art class??"

"What? No!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Rei said, pushing up his glasses. The three of them looked at each other and nodded. Before Haru could react, Nagisa grabbed Haru's cellphone and started entering the number.

"Hey! Stop it!" Haru said, trying to grab the phone back. "Makoto, stop them!"

"Actually, I'm pretty curious too, Haru," Makoto said.

Haru made a few more desperate grabs, but Nagisa kept dodging until he finished dialing the number. Completely ignoring Haru, he pressed 'call' and put it on loudspeaker.

"Stop it, guys. I don't even know who-" Makoto then clamped his hand over Haru's mouth, silencing him.

The other end rang a few times, and then somebody picked up, much to Haru's horror. They all sat there, silently waiting for Haru's "girlfriend" to say something.

"Yes? Rin Matsuoka here," said a voice that was clearly male.

Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei looked at each other, surprised. "Um.. Are you Haru-chan's boyfriend?" Nagisa asked, giggling.

"Huh?! Haru-chan- Is this a prank call?!" said this 'Rin Matsuoka', sounding annoyed.

"It's not," Rei said. "Didn't you give Haru your number?" Makoto added.

"Look, I don't know any 'Haru', okay-"

Haru (who no longer had Makoto's hand over his mouth) grabbed the phone from Nagisa, turned the loudspeaker off, and walked out of the living room. He pressed the phone to his ear.

"Sorry about that," he sighed, rubbing his temple. "I found your number on this piece of paper, in a library book, so my friends assumed-"

"Wait," Rin said. "You found my number in a library book? Which book?"

"Life Drawing 101."

"My number..." Rin said, sounding confused. Then Haru heard him gasp. "Wait a minute."

Haru wasn't exactly sure what was happening on the other end, but he heard something like "MOMO! AI! SOUSUKE!!" and a lot of laughing and something being thrown? And even more laughing and yelling? He wasn't sure.

"Sorry about that," Rin sighed a few minutes later. "My friends thought it would be funny if they put my number in the book and I started getting random calls."

A little frown formed on Haru's face. Why did he get the feeling that he'd heard this voice before? And that last name... _Matsuoka_. He felt like he'd heard it before too.

"Uh, just asking, but are you maybe in my art class..?" Haru asked tentatively. Why did Rin sound so familiar??

"An art class?" He heard Rin laugh. It was a cute laugh. "Heck no. But I did go to life model for an art class a few days ago. Are you an art student?"

Ah. Now Haru remembered. From all the life models that had been called in, the one who'd stuck out most to Haru was a particular red-haired young man, about his age, with a body so toned and perfect that it had actually distracted him from his work. But the thing that stuck out most about the life model had been his eyes. Bright red, fiery and passionate...

Rin Matsuoka...

"Uh, hello?" Rin asked, snapping Haru out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm an art student. I think the art class you came to was mine. You...you have red hair, right?"

"Yup, that's me," Rin said, and Haru could tell he was smiling. "Haru Nanase, right? Were you, by any chance, the blue-eyed one sitting in the right corner?"

Haru couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "You remember me?"

Rin laughed that cute laugh again. "Maybe. You were pretty distracting."

"What?"

"Never mind. Anyway, I'm actually coming to your art class to model again tomorrow."

For some reason, Haru's heart skipped a beat. I get to see Rin again?

And naked too.

Trying to distract himself from the dirty thoughts forming in his head, Haru tried changing the subject. "Is that why you borrowed the life drawing book?"

"Yeah," Rin answered. "We have an instructor who shows us how we should pose, but he was absolute shit at teaching, so a lot of students complained that I hadn't been posing properly and that it was affecting their drawing. I don't like doing things half-assed, so I borrowed the book to see how the poses actually worked. It really helped."

"Mmhmm, it's a good book," Haru agreed. "So you haven't life modeled before?"

"Nope," Rin said. "I usually do normal modeling for a few different brands, but I needed some extra money, so someone suggested life modeling. It really pays well."

Suddenly, Nagisa yelled from the living room. "Haru-chan! Are you done talking to your boyfriend yet?"

Haru sighed. He hadn't even realized it, but a whole ten minutes had already passed. "I have to go now, Rin. Again, sorry about my friends calling you like this."

"It's no problem," Rin said. Then he snickered. "So they think I'm your boyfriend, huh?"

Haru felt his face heat up. "Y-Yeah, I guess..."

Rin laughed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Haru. Bye."

"Yeah. Bye."

And with that, Rin hung up, leaving Haru standing outside his living room, phone in his hand and heart beating abnormally fast. He wasn't even very sure why. And for some reason, he was really looking forward to going to his art class tomorrow. He was actually looking forward to drawing life drawings. Life drawings.

Was this... was this because of Rin?

Oh well, Haru thought to himself as he walked back into the living room. Guess I'll see tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Rin gets really embarrassed around Haru and swears a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha...Okay guys I'm sorry this took so long. And I also apologize in advance that I can't write Rin being flustered. I finally decided that this thing's gonna be three chapters, the last one being from Haru's point of view.

"You're up in five minutes, okay, Matsuoka-kun?"

"Yes, ma'am," Rin nodded to the art instructor. She nodded back and left the little changing room, where Rin was sitting wearing nothing but a thin red robe. His jacket and clothes, which he'd taken off when he'd arrived, were hanging at the back of the door.

The first time Rin had life modeled (or whatever it was called) for this class, he'd just felt bored and exasperated and he just wanted to get his goddamn paycheck and go _home_. That is, until he saw a certain dark haired, blue eyed young man.

_Haruka Nanase...._

The first thing he had noticed about him were those eyes. A gorgeous, deep blue color, as clear as the calm ocean on a warm summer night, and sparkling with determination as he studied and drew Rin. _Damn_. Rin had never seen anyone with eyes like that. _Ever._

And for the next two hours that Rin had been there, he'd kind of just been staring at Haru, studying all his features (or just his arms and face, because everything else had been covered by Haru's easel) and admiring them. That perfectly clear skin, that swishy, super-soft looking black hair, those obviously toned arms, showing as Haru rolled up his sleeves..... _wow._ The only reason Rin had agreed to life model again for this class was so that he could see Haru, maybe even talk to him....

And yesterday, when Haru (or Haru's friends. Whatever) had called him, and he'd actually _talked_ to Haru and Haru had _actually_ remembered him....Well, it had taken everything that Rin had to not sound like some blushing, giggling school girl. He hoped that he had sounded suave and flirty, but...

_...."You were pretty distracting."_

_Ughhh, what were you thinking, you dumbass??!_ Rin angrily thought to himself, putting his now-red face in hands. _He probably thinks you're some creepy stalker or something._

_But...but I suppose you sounded pretty okay after that..._

Rin took his blushing face out of his hands and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He brushed some strands of his red hair out of his face and inhaled again.

_Yeah...yeah. Everything's gonna be fine. No need to worry._

"Matsuoka-kun?" said someone, knocking on the changing room door, totally jolting Rin out of his thoughts. _Right._ His five minutes were up. He looked into the mirror, making sure that he looked presentable, and walked out of the changing room. As he made his way towards the class, he tried to settle his rising nervousness.

_Relax. You've done this before, and you can do it again. Then you can ask Haru out for coffee or something. No big deal, right? Calm down._

Rin walked towards the front of the class, where the art instructor motioned to the tall stool that had already been placed there for him. "You know the drill, right?" she asked him. "You sit in one pose for thirty minutes, then switch to the next and keep doing so until the two hours are up. So four poses. And you know what today's poses are, right?"

Rin nodded. She had already informed him about the poses he would need today when he had arrived.

Then she turned to her class. "Are you ready?" she asked. A bunch of "yeah's" and "yes ma'am's" were heard, and she turned her head to Rin, nodding.

"You can drop the robe now."

This was it. The most awkward part. But it was only so for a little while, then you just got used to all the people staring at and studying your naked body. _Yeah, no problem.._. Rin thought, removing his robe and placing it on the art instructor's desk, trying to ignore all the eyes on him as he made his way toward the stool. _They just wanna draw you to pass some goddamn exam, it'll be over in no time..._

Then he saw him.

_....Fuck._

Haru was sitting exactly where he'd been sitting before, in the far right corner of the room, easel in front of him and a sketching pencil in his hand. His eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes, were scanning Rin's body, slightly widened and full of...this _energy._

 __Rin couldn't really describe it, but _damn_ , those eyes were beautiful. He just wanted to stare into them all day, forgetting about all his problems, forgetting everything-

_Wait._

Suddenly, Rin felt like something was wrong. Very, _very wrong_.

Then it hit him. 

_Haru is looking at my body. Haru is studying every square inch of my naked body._

...

_Oh my fucking GOD._

Rin immediately felt the blood rushing to his cheeks, and the air in the room was suddenly stifling hot and claustrophobic, making it impossible to breathe properly. He had the strong urge to grab his robe, cover himself, and _run_. Anywhere would be fine. He just desperately wanted to get out of here.

_Please, please, PLEASE tell me this isn't happening. Wh-_

"Matsuoka-kun?"

Then Rin realized that he was just standing there, frozen in mid-walk and staring at Haru. All the art students were staring at him now, and this time they weren't just focusing of his body. If it was even possible, Rin's face became even redder.

"S-sorry, I was just, um..." Rin stammered desperately. _Dammit, you idiot! Don't make this worse!_

So he hurriedly sat on the goddamn stool and got into position. It was definitely one of the simpler poses, with his legs spread slightly apart and his hands positioned at the back of his head, showing of his well-muscled triceps and forearms as well as his perfectly sculpted chest and abs.

The art instructor nodded. "Okay then. Three, two, one..."

She started the thirty-minute timer, and everyone immediately stopped giving Rin those weirded out looks and started drawing. After a few minutes, when Rin had calmed down a little and controlled the blush on his face, he went back to his thoughts.

 _What the hell was that?!_ he mentally yelled at himself. _Why did you freak out like that?! It's not like Haru hasn't seen you naked before!_

But he already knew the answer to that. Last time he had modelled here, Haru had been nothing more than a handsome, fascinating stranger, completely out of his reach. But _now_ , as in _after last night's phone call_ , Haru didn't seem so unreachable anymore. Rin actually felt like he had the chance to get to know the guy a little better, maybe even more than that...

That still didn't completely explain why Rin had panicked like that, though. It's not like he was usually embarrassed or shy about showing off his body. His muscles were near perfection, and he knew it. Heck, he'd even done a nude photo shoot or two.

 _Oh well_ , he thought, sighing inwardly and letting the matter slide. _Guess Haru just has that weird effect on you or something.._.

“Matsuoka-kun, could you move a little to the right?” asked the art instructor from across the room, snapping Rin out of his thoughts yet again. He gave a slight nod and then, without breaking the pose, shifted to the right.

…Only to find himself sitting right across from Haru.

 _Why is this happening to me?! Why me?!_ Rin thought to himself, the heat returning to his cheeks. He had no idea how Haru could just sit there and draw and at the same time be so damn captivating. He just had this… _aura_ that would’ve attracted Rin from miles away.

Then Haru raised his head, and time suddenly seemed to stop.

Rin was pretty sure he’d never made proper eye contact with Haru before, because he _definitely_ would’ve remembered this feeling. Rin felt like electricity was coursing through his body. He suddenly felt very alert and awake and… _motivated_. Like if he really tried hard enough, he could do anything. 

And as if Rin wasn’t already feeling a bunch of weird-ass emotions just by looking into this guy’s eyes, the corners of Haru’s mouth suddenly turned slightly upward, giving Rin a faint, but still noticeable smile.

_Oh fuck._

Rin took a sharp intake of breath, and if his cheeks had been red before, now he was blushing to the tips of his ears. For the second time that day, Rin felt as if all the air was being sucked out of his lungs. His chest felt all tight and fluttery. Totally forgetting he was life modelling for a class of twenty-six other art students, Rin dropped his arms and turned his now completely-red face away from Haru, one hand automatically going to rub the back of his neck.

The class instantly became deadly quiet, and Rin realized what he had just done.

_...Shit. Holy fucking shit._

“S-sorry! My arms just got tired for a second, and, uh…” Rin stammered, trying to tone down his blush as he hastily got back into position. He wanted to _die_. He wanted to lock himself in his apartment and bury himself under the covers and never come out.

After a minute or so, everyone eventually went back to work, but Rin was not safe from their confused, weirded out glances. He could _not_ believe how much of a fool he’d made out of himself in just twenty minutes. How was it even possible?!

But what Rin couldn’t believe even more was that, even after everything that had just happened, he _still_ found it impossible to ignore Haru. How was this guy even doing that?? Attracting Rin more than anything when he was just sitting there, his whole body not even visible, and _drawing_?! It completely baffled Rin. There was just something about Haru…

Haru suddenly got up, probably just to get a better view of Rin over his easel, and even though it was only for a moment, Rin was totally captivated _again_. Haru was wearing a simple light blue button-down shirt over a fitting black t-shirt, the buttons open to show off Haru’s slim yet muscled and toned figure. And even though Haru’s jeans weren’t exactly tight, Rin could tell that Haru’s legs were just as gorgeous. _God,_ the clothes, even though they were pretty simple, looked as if they’d been specifically sent down from heaven or something just for Haru to wear. 

_Imagine how great he’d look without anything on…_

_Wait, wait, wait_ , Rin suddenly thought, slightly freaked out at what he’d just said to himself. He barely even _knew_ Haru. And he couldn’t just start thinking dirty thoughts over here, especially with his legs spread apart like this and Haru sitting right across from him, not to mention the art instructor and twenty-six other art students.

 _Don’t look at him_ , Rin, he snapped at himself. _Don’t you fucking DARE._

But as usual, Rin didn’t listen to himself and gave Haru another once-over.

And the dirty thoughts kind of just exploded inside head. Most of which involved himself, Haru, his apartment, Rin running his fingers through that silky black hair, tracing his collar bone and the probably well-sculpted chest and abs…

_Rin Matsuoka, if you get a boner right now, I swear you’ll be a fucking disgrace and embarrassment for the rest of your life, okay?!_

And Rin was really, really trying to control himself, but it was getting more and more difficult by the second. He didn’t know how much longer he could-

_Beep, beep, beep._

Rin suddenly jolted upright, startled by the sudden alarm. Then he remembered.

_The thirty-minute timer!_

The art instructor walked up to the front of the class. “Okay, good job everyone,” she said. “We’ll have a two minute break now.” She looked at Rin. “You too, Matsuoka-kun.”

Rin sighed a small sigh of relief and finally put his aching arms down. He had _literally_ been saved by the bell. Or the timer, whatever. He got up, stretching a little, and went to the instructor’s desk to get his water bottle. After taking a few sips, he finally felt completely cooled down. After half-an-hour of embarrassing himself, anyway.

He went back to the stool, feeling refreshed, and got into his second pose. This time, he was sitting with his legs crossed over each other (in other words, no boner would be visible if those perverted thoughts sprung back) and his back to Haru (maybe he was a little sad about that, but it was for his own good).

The art instructor nodded. “Okay, three, two, one…”

~~~~~~

 

 _Beep, beep, beep_.

“Okay, good work today, everyone!” said the art instructor, smiling. After two long hours of drawing, the art students finally got up and stretched. Rin himself was pretty stiff. Sitting on a stool, staying absolutely still in uncomfortable positions for two whole hours, was no easy task.

He walked over to the art instructor’s desk and took a few sips of water, also grabbing his robe and slipping it on. The first half an hour of today’s modelling had been an absolute disaster (Rin wanted to shoot himself just thinking about it), but the rest of it had gone pretty smoothly (most probably because he didn’t have to look at Haru).

He looked over at Haru, who was now packing all these sketchbooks and papers and pencils into a shoulder bag. Suddenly, Rin felt really embarrassed to go up to Haru and talk to him, even though that had been the plan all along. He probably thought Rin was just plain weird after that totally-awkward first half an hour of modelling.

Haru finished packing his shoulder bag and finally got up. _Whoa_ , Rin thought, trying (unsuccessfully) to look away. _He could be a model, too._

And then he realized that Haru was making his way toward the exit.

Without even thinking, Rin ran up to him. “Wait, Haru!” he called out, then immediately felt his face burning.

_What the fuck are you doing?!_

Haru turned around and looked at him, and it took everything Rin had to not get hypnotized by those eyes yet again. 

“Yes?” Haru asked, looking slightly puzzled. _Cute_.

“It’s, uh, great to finally meet you,” Rin said, rubbing the back of his neck and giving Haru a small smile.

“Yeah, you too,” Haru said, slightly averting his gaze from Rin. _Wait_. Were his cheeks _pink?_

Rin quickly dismissed that thought. The room was full of people and it was pretty warm, and Haru had been drawing for three hours straight, even before Rin had come in to model. Yeah, that explained it.

For a moment, he and Haru just stood there awkwardly, Haru looking down and Rin rubbing his neck (nervous habit) and looking to the right. 

_It’s now or never, Rin._

“S-say, Haru,” Rin stammered, trying not to show how nervous he was. Haru looked up, meeting Rin’s gaze. “Hmm?”

“Uh, there’s this little coffee shop right across from here,” he continued, feeling his face heat up even more. “Do you want to, uh, I mean, should we-“

_Dammit, it was so much easier talking to him on the phone…_

“Sure.”

“Huh?” Rin blurted out, suddenly looking directly at Haru. He had this slightly amused look in his eyes. “I said okay. But…shouldn’t you maybe put some clothes on first?”

Rin unexpectedly burst out laughing. He wasn’t really sure why, but he guessed he was just really happy. At least he hadn’t come and made a fool out of himself today for nothing. And Haru didn’t think he was mentally ill or something.

“Yeah, I guess I should,” he said, smiling up at Haru. Rin noticed that his eyes had slightly widened and that the light pink had returned to his cheeks. _Really, really cute_.

They walked out of the room, and Rin made his way toward the changing room. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Haru simply nodded. 

As promised, Rin emerged from the changing room a minute later, now fully dressed. He could tell that Haru was looking at him, and for some reason, that made him grin to himself like a total idiot. 

They made their way toward the building’s exit. Rin was still smiling to himself, that tight, fluttery feeling returning to his chest. Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The awkward coffee date, and Haru pondering over his feelings for Rin (and getting very turned on).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay, this took WAY longer than I expected. But here it is, the last chapter. Enjoy~~

Haru still couldn’t really believe it.

_I’m with Rin._

_I’m walking with Rin._

_Rin just asked me if I wanted to go for coffee._

_I’m going to get coffee with Rin._

Could it technically be called a date? Haru wasn’t sure. They had only just talked properly for the first time a few minutes ago, and they’d met through a library book. But still. He was pretty sure Rin’s cheeks had been pink when he’d asked him (though it could’ve just been the heat in the room), and Haru knew that his own heartbeat had quickened, and was still racing pretty fast at the moment. Even though he was still a little embarrassed about how quickly he’d said yes to Rin.

He glanced over at Rin, who had a soft smile on his face. Haru immediately felt this warm, fluttery feeling in his chest, the same one he’d felt after talking to Rin last night. _Cute_.

Rin turned his head, looking over at Haru, and that’s when Haru realized that he’d been staring. Feeling his face redden, he quickly turned away, embarrassed. _Control yourself!_

Rin didn’t seem to mind, though. He let out a soft laugh, making Haru’s chest feel even flutterier. Rin’s laugh had sounded cute over the phone last night, but it didn’t even compare to how it sounded in person. He was glad that his scarf was partially covering his face, because he was sure his cheeks had turned a few shades pinker.

Why was this happening to him? Haru was not one to easily start blushing, and he’d never felt this tight, warm feeling in his chest before. How could one phone call do all this to him?

“So, Haru,” Rin said, cutting through Haru’s thoughts.

“Hmm?” he replied, still looking down.

“How long have you been drawing for?”

“I’ve liked art since I was a little kid, and a lot of people told me I was good at it, so I decided to take these specialized art classes, maybe do something art-related for a living.”

“Ah, cool,” Rin replied. Then he grinned. “You’ll have to show me your drawings sometime, you know?”

“Actually, I’m more into painting,” Haru said thoughtfully.

“Painting, huh? Impressive,” Rin said, nodding.

Haru felt his heart skip a beat. “Not really.”

“It is, actually. I couldn’t paint to save my life,” Rin said, giving a little snort.

Their conversation was cut short, because they’d finally arrived at the coffee shop. It was more of a small café, really. Rin pull open the door and stepped inside, Haru following close behind him. He was relieved by how warm it was in here, after ten minutes of cold wind blasting in his face.

“Good afternoon!” the young lady at the counter called out.

“Good afternoon,” Rin replied, while Haru only nodded at her.

Rin smiled at him. “So what would you like to drink?”

Haru wasn’t really in a coffee mood, so he simply replied, “Hot chocolate sounds good.”

Rin nodded. “Okay, I’ll order for both of us. Why don’t you find us a table?”

Haru nodded and walked off, taking off his scarf and coat. The place wasn’t too crowded, so Haru had a lot of options to choose from. In the end, he chose a low wooden table with two plush, comfy-looking chairs facing each other. It was toward the back of the café, and there was a window with the view of the busy-looking city streets beside it. _Cozy_ , is what Haru had thought. _Maybe even a little romantic._

He hung his coat and scarf on the back of his chair, set his shoulder bag beside him, and sat down. While waiting, his thoughts drifted back to Rin.

What _exactly_ did he feel for Rin?

Well, Haru had to admit, after that phone call and after Makoto and Nagisa and Rei had left, he’d stayed up for quite a while thinking about it. It was pretty ridiculous, but every time he thought of Rin’s laugh or how he’d said _you were pretty distracting_ , he would start smiling to himself and his chest would go all fluttery _again_. After some thought, he came to the conclusion that he probably had a crush on Rin. That had kind of surprised him, because he thought that having crushes and blushing was something only high school girls did. But after today, he had pretty much confirmed his suspicions about his “crush”.

When Rin had first taken his robe off, Haru had to admit, his jeans had _definitely_ felt a little tighter. Thank goodness for his easel. But you couldn’t really blame him, right? Calling Rin ‘gorgeous’ would’ve been an understatement. But when Rin had started stammering and blushing after freezing in place like that, Haru’s heart had just sort of melted. Especially all the stammering and blushing after Haru had smiled at him. He knew that people had been giving Rin weird looks after that, but Haru had found him adorable.

Haru thought that he would’ve been distracted from his sketching while Rin was modeling, but to his surprise, he hadn’t been. He was even more surprised to find that he’d actually been really into it, even finding it fun. _Life drawing_ , the thing Haru despised so much, had actually been fun to do. And not just that, but the art instructor had actually come to him while he was drawing and had told him how impressive his work was, and how she was surprised to see how quickly he’d improved. Haru hadn’t even noticed, but compared to his other life drawings, these ones were pretty impressive.

_Is this also because of Rin?_

Then Haru noticed Rin coming over with a tray, so he quickly put his long train of thoughts on pause, or else things might become awkward. He’d have to figure it out later.

“Sorry, that took a little longer than expected,” Rin said, sitting down and setting the tray on the table. Haru shook his head. “No, it’s fine.” One hot chocolate, one espresso, and…two spicy chicken sandwiches?

“Uh, yeah, I thought you might be hungry…” Rin said when he saw Haru eyeing the sandwiches. Haru noticed that his cheeks were tinged slightly pink, and he was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck (which seemed to be something he did when he got embarrassed). Haru felt his heart melting all over again. Sure, it wasn’t mackerel, but Rin had gotten it for him. Besides, he was kind of hungry.

“Thanks,” Haru simply replied, giving Rin a soft smile.

He tried not to notice how Rin’s face visibly became even pinker, and how he’d quickly grabbed his coffee and looked away. _He’s cute when he gets embarrassed._

Haru took his own hot chocolate, the mug warming up his still slightly-cold hands, and took a sip.

_Wow._

It was good. Not too sweet, not too bitter, and just the right amount of creaminess. He mentally made a note to himself to come here more often.

“How is it?” Rin asked, looking a little worried.

Again, Haru smiled. “It’s pretty good.” He saw relief spreading through Rin’s face. “How about yours?” he asked.

"Also pretty good,” he replied, smiling. “This place always has the best stuff.”

Haru silently hummed in agreement, taking another sip. He reached for his sandwich, not noticing Rin’s hand also reaching out toward the plate, and their hands brushed against each other. Both of them jolted their hands back, looking away from each other in embarrassment. It had only been a slight touch, but Haru already felt his face heat up. “Sorry…”

Rin shook his head, and Haru noticed that his face was also pretty red. “Nah, it’s okay…” He took the sandwich and started hurriedly chewing, still averting his gaze from Haru.

Haru took his sandwich and took a bite too. Hmm. It wasn’t bad. Still not as good as mackerel, of course, but still pretty good.

"So what about you?” Haru asked Rin, trying to change the topic and get away from this awkward tension.

Rin looked at Haru, a puzzled expression on his face. “Me?”

Haru took another bite of his sandwich. “How long have you been modeling for?”

“Oh, uh, well, I started doing a few shoots back in my last year of high school, and then I kinda just got into it, I guess,” Rin said, shrugging.

“Impressive,” Haru replied, a slightly teasing tone in his voice.

Rin’s cheeks tinged pink again and he looked away. “N-not really,” he mumbled. “Anyone can model.”

Haru shook his head. “I don’t think anyone can just be a model, Rin.”

“Sure they can!” Rin said. “You would’ve made a pretty good model yourself, Haru!”

_Wait. What?_

He looked at Rin, eyes wide and cheeks probably red. His heart was doing the fluttery thing again, and his palms were sweating for some reason. Rin seemed to realize what he’d just said, because his face had become even redder, and he was rubbing his neck again and looking away, mumbling, “Never mind…”

“Thank you.”

“Huh??” Rin blurted out, looking up at Haru. Haru was sure his cheeks were still pink, and his heart still felt like it was doing backflips, but nonetheless, he kept his gaze locked with Rin’s, smiling. “I said thank you.”

“Oh, um…” Rin gave a small pout and turned his blushing face away, hastily eating the rest of his sandwich. “It’s no big deal. The fact that you can paint and draw is a lot more impressive than my modelling, though.”

“…not really. But thanks.”

“I’m serious!” Rin said, finally looking at Haru with a little smirk on his face. “Do you…do you have your drawings right now?”

Haru nodded. “Do you want to see them?”

Rin nodded, looking a little embarrassed. “If you don’t mind.”

Haru grabbed his shoulder bag from the floor and placed it in his lap, unlatching it and taking out a few sheets of paper and a sketchbook, all of which had today’s life drawings on them. He placed them on the table in front of Rin.

“Here.”

He watched Rin turn open the sketchbook and flip through the pages, and then he heard a sudden sharp intake of breath. He looked up at Rin.

“What’s wrong?” Haru asked, slightly worried.

Rin was sitting across from him, clutching the sketchbook tightly in his hands, his eyes wide and his expression stunned. And then, out of the blue, he grabbed Haru’s wrist.

“Hey-“Haru started, feeling his face heat up.

“Haru,” Rin said, looking directly at Haru, his expression still dazed shock. He held the sketchbook up to Haru, the page that had sketches from Rin’s first modeling pose. “You drew these, right?”

“Yeah,” Haru replied, slightly confused at why Rin was so shocked.

Rin’s eyes got even wider, and he turned the sketchbook back to himself, hands visibly shaking. “W-wow, Haru.”

“Why are you so surprised?”

Rin gave a shaky exhale and shook his head. “Haru, these are _amazing_. Better than amazing. I seriously don’t think I’ve seen anyone with an art style like this.”

Haru felt his breath catch in his throat. “Not really…” he mumbled, turning his gaze away from Rin.

“What are you talking about, Haru?! You have so much talent, it’s _incredible_.”

Now Haru’s heart rate was shooting up, and his heart was beating so hard that he was sure the whole café could hear it. His face had obviously turned red (it was doing that a lot today), so he looked down at the coffee table, where Rin’s fingers were still curled around his wrist, the front-side of Haru’s hand facing upward. Haru’s face became even warmer, but it wasn’t out of embarrassment. No, Haru was pretty sure he was blushing out of _happiness_.

A small smile appeared on Haru’s lips, and without thinking, he found himself softly stroking Rin’s fingers. Rin suddenly jolted upright and uncurled his hand from Haru’s wrist, quickly withdrawing it to his side. Haru looked up to see that Rin’s face had turned the same red shade as his hair, and he was staring at Haru with a dazed expression, his mouth forming an ‘o’.

Haru felt his chest and face get all warm again, but he didn’t bother looking away this time. Still smiling softly, Haru locked eyes with Rin.

“Thank you, Rin.”

And for a moment, they just sat there like that, looking into each other’s eyes. Haru wouldn’t have minded staying like that a little longer, but Rin, whose face got even redder when he seemed to realize how Haru was just looking at him, awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away, his gaze drifting to the window.

“U-uh, it’s um, getting pretty late,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think I should get going now.”

“Oh,” Haru replied, feeling a little disappointed. Even though he’d just met Rin yesterday, Haru knew he liked being in his company. He looked out the window, and was surprised to see that the sun was already setting. _We were here for that long?_

They both got up, stretching, and Haru suddenly remembered that he hadn’t paid Rin back for the hot chocolate and the food. He reached for his wallet in his back pocket, which got him a confused look from Rin.

“What’s up, Haru?”

“Uh, how much for the-“

Rin cut him off with a small laugh. “Don’t worry about it. It was on me.”

Most people would probably get into an argument over the bill, but Haru just nodded, putting his hand back down. “Oh. Thanks.”

Rin had a soft smile on his face. “Don’t mention it.”

…

Two minutes later, both of them were back in the cold, walking down the street and toward the station.

“You don’t have to walk me if you don’t want to,” Rin said, slightly raising his voice to be heard above the loud, harsh blowing of the wind.

Haru just shook his head. He wanted to be with Rin for as long as possible, even if it meant walking out here in the cold when he could be taking his routinely warm bath at his own home, which was pretty nearby.

When they finally got to the station, both of them were slightly out of breath. Rin looked up at him, a smile on his face.

“Well, I’ll see you later, Haru. Thanks for today.”

“Y-yeah,” Haru said, looking down, trying not to feel so disappointed. It wasn’t like this was the last time he was going to see Rin. He even had Rin’s phone number. _But still_. He didn’t want Rin to leave so soon.

Rin turned around, making his way toward the train, and suddenly Haru couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Wait, Rin!” he called out, his voice sounding a little louder and more desperate than he expected.

Rin stopped and turned around, facing Haru. “Yeah?”

_What are you doing?_

“Are you busy right now?” he asked, a slightly tentative tone in his voice.

Rin looked slightly surprised. “Well, not really. I don’t actually have a lot to do when I get home. Why?”

Haru felt his face becoming red, and struggled to keep his eyes on Rin.

“You know I have an art exam next week, right?”

“Yeah.”

“S-so if you’re not busy,” Haru muttered, his voice barely audible. “I was wondering if you could model for me.”

“Huh?!” was Rin’s immediate reaction, his face turning red. “L-like a private modeling session? Right now??”

“If you want,” Haru said quietly, looking down and wondering why he had thought this was a good idea. Who knows what Rin probably thought of him now?

To his surprise, he heard Rin laugh. He looked up, only to see Rin giving him a slightly seductive smile (or maybe it was just Haru), even though his cheeks were still considerably pink. He had this gleam in his eyes, and Haru had to admit, he was very turned on.

“No problem,” Rin said, walking toward Haru, still smiling that seductive smile. “How far away is your place?”

“A ten minute walk from here.”

“Well, let’s go then.”

So they got out of the station and started walking down the street again, making their way toward Haru’s house. They were walking unnecessarily close to each other, shoulders and arms brushing against each other with every step. Haru had never felt like this before, this satisfied, warm feeling in his chest, but at the same time wanting so much more.

…

Ten minutes later, they were at the front door of Haru’s house.

“Here we are,” Haru said, taking out the key from his pocket and unlocking the door.

Rin nodded. “Nice house.”

“Thanks.”

Haru walked in, immediately setting his shoulder bag down on the floor. He turned to look at Rin, who was taking his shoes off at the entrance. Their eyes met, and Rin gave Haru that sexy smile again. Haru felt his jeans get a little tighter, though he hoped it wasn’t visible.

Rin walked in, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the coat-hanger, giving Haru a perfect view of that perfectly sculpted body, even if it was just through a fitting black sweater.

“So where am I gonna model?” Rin asked, his tone smooth and sexy.

“My art studio.”

Haru tried to make his voice sound calm, but he was getting excited.

_Maybe life drawing isn’t such a bad thing after all._

And with that last thought, Haru turned around and shut the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So did they have a full-out love making session? Just passionate making-out? Or like the dorks they are, did they just get nosebleeds after looking at each other for too long? It's up to you ;)  
> Wow, I just finished my very first fanfic. THIS WAS MEANT TO BE A SHORT DRABBLE HOW DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN?? Thank you guys so much for reading and commenting and leaving kudos and liking my shitty work thank you so much XD  
> PS. I'm already working on another idea ;)
> 
> (And btw my tumblr is http://demfeeeels.tumblr.com/ )


End file.
